The Black Cauldron
Author: Lloyd Alexander
Year: 1965
Abstract:
Taran and crew are back for a darker, less fulfiling adventure. Arawn holds the Black Cauldron and is now venturing
out among the still living for new recruits. Gwydion and many others are going to band together to wrest the Cauldron
from Annuvin, but soon they'll find out it isn't there either and the real adventures begin.
| Advanced Mind | |
| Exploration/Quest |  |
| Military/Fighting | |
| Horror | |
| Magic | |
| Advanced Technology | |
| Time Travel/Alternate History | |
| Science | |
| Aliens/Beasties | |
| Contemporality |
Other books in this series: The Chronicles of Prydain
The Book of Three [1964]
The Castle of Llyr [1966]
Taran Wanderer [1967]
The High King [1968]
tyranist's Review
The whole gang is back for a much more difficult adventure, but the general atmosphere of Prydain rules in spite of the
darker subject matter of the book. I like to think that if we were introduced to the characters in The Book of Three
then we really get to know and understand our primary hero, Taran, in this one. This book is filled with his inner
turmoil as he develops even more from boy to man and from Assistant Pig-Keeper to a leader of men. There are moments
of despair and doubt and corresponding moments of triumph, but the triumph rarely lasts long and is often hollowed out
by later events. In the end, we understand more of who Taran is and more of who he should be. When the journey is
complete, the mettle that makes up our hero of Prydain is a little more tempered by the fires of his world.